Bulletproof blankets sales beat ‘wildest expectations’ even before production starts

In the wake of dozens of school shootings over the last year and a half, many schools and parents have decided to turn to bulletproof school supplies in order to save children from unexpected disasters, most recently embracing beefed-up blankets.

According to the Huffington Post, an item called the Bodyguard
Blanket has not even been available to purchase for two weeks,
but sales for ProTecht’s product are incredibly strong. In fact,
the company’s managing partner, Stan Schone, stated the safety
device has already “far exceeded our wildest expectations.”

"We have been contacted by several private and public schools
that have shown great interest and by many concerned parents
wanting to purchase them as well," he told the Post in an
email. "Private sales have been very spirited and far greater
than anticipated."

Originally designed as a way to offer students more protection in
the event of a tornado, the $1,000 blanket resembles a padded mat
with straps that can be worn like a backpack. The blanket is
5/16-inch thick and covers a student’s entire backside. When a
child ducks and covers, the pad is strong enough to protect users
from 9mm bullets as well as falling debris like metal shards and
nails.

The Bodyguard Blanket is just the latest in a line of bulletproof
school supplies by various manufacturers, many of which see sales
spike following school shootings. Following the Sandy Hook
massacre, for example, the Washington Post reported sales of
bulletproof backpacks and other supplies doubled or tripled, in
some cases rising more than 500 percent.

As noted by NBC News, events like the Sandy Hook massacre and the
Virginia Tech shooting have lingered in the minds of schools, and
they have proven willing to spend money in order to protect their
students.

Yet for schools that, on average, the National Center for
Education Statistics says spent about $11,000 per student as of
2010-11, adding $1,000 each is a significant expense. For
ProTecht’s Schone and Steve Walker, the Bodyguard Blanket may not
be able to deliver all the benefits of safe rooms or tornado
shelters, but they are still cheaper alternatives for
institutions short on money.

“By no means would we ever say that this is more
protective,” Walker said to the Oklahoman. “But when you
have budget constraints, this might be a viable
alternative.”

That sentiment is not shared by many safety experts, however.
With so many products on the market – bulletproof whiteboards,
binders, even pencils – school safety consultant Ken Trump from
Ohio argues they are taking time and money away from establishing
much better safety procedures.

"It may be well-intended but it’s not well thought-out,"
Trump told NBC. "I would ask this question: If you need a
bulletproof backpack, wouldn't the child also need a bulletproof
front pack and a helmet and a Captain America shield?"

Trump, along with Michael Dorn of the school safety group Safe
Havens International and Gregory Thomas of Alan Thomas Security,
also said that that enhancing school drills and investing in
prevention would go much further than purchasing bulletproof
objects.

"In the past five years we’ve seen draconian cuts to school
security and emergency planning programs," Trump added to
NBC.

"Schools have limited resources and they ought to use that
money very wisely, put it into an additional school psychologist
or a school police officer, train your staff and work with first
responders. The most valuable school security tools are
invisible."